It Isn't Extra Food That's Making Us Fat

posted by Rob Quinn, Newser Staff
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2 years ago

(NEWSER) – Americans are a lot heftier than they were in 1988, but it's not because they're eating a lot more than they were a couple of decades ago; it's because they're sitting around a lot more, according to a new study. Researchers found that daily intake of calories changed little between 1988 and 2010, but the number of people who said they didn't do any physical activity in their spare time soared from 19% to 52% in women, and from 11% to 43% in men, the Los Angeles Times reports. "We wouldn't say that calories don't count, but the main takeaway is that we have to look very carefully at physical activity," says the lead researcher, a Stanford Medical School professor of gastroenterology. "The problem is not all in the intake of calories," he says, noting that "most people don't walk or bike to work, and most people are not in jobs that require physical activity."